


Contingency Plans

by Keenir



Series: Possible Worlds [3]
Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Thor Movies, Gen, Meta, Shorts, Speculation, short metas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-05
Updated: 2013-10-05
Packaged: 2017-12-28 11:16:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/991394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keenir/pseuds/Keenir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A small(?) collection of contingency plans - for Loki, Sif, and the others - had events in <span class="u">Thor</span> not skidded so far out of control.<br/>chapter 1 - is a meta on Loki's motivation.<br/>chapter 2 - a ficlet set after Loki <i>doesn't</i> touch the Casket of Ancient Winters.<br/>chapter 3 - a fic in which Sif goes to fight Thor to make him worthy of the Hammer...no Destroyer needed.<br/>chapter 4 - a meta of what Loki and Thor might have done if Odin had sent them after the Tesseract during World War Two.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meta

_**"I only wanted to be your equal!"** _

So shouted Loki at Thor during their big throwdown fight. And that begs questions...

Firstly, why bother having Thor get banished? Yes, Thor had just been declared Odin's successor... but I doubt anyone in Asgard could have foreseen the Allfather's heart attack (with the exception of Frigga, of course).

So, had Odin not collapsed, what was Loki's plan to become more equal to Thor? Prior to Thor being declared the chosen successor, what duties did Thor do, that Loki didn't? When your king lives for millenia (or longer), what tasks are set aside for the princes to do? (can you see early-Thor Thor as a judge? as an ambassador warning other Realms away from thinking to try Asgard's patience, perhaps)

Ancient Egypt famously had Ramses II ruling well into til he was nearly a century old - when he died, many who were _grandparents_ then, they could not remember anyone else having ever been in charge. As only Ramses II could be the pharaoh at the time, many of his sons - and some of his daughters - were given governorships across the homeland and conquered lands of the Egyptian Empire, as well as in positions as chief priests in the foremost temples. I know nothing of Asgardian religion, if there is any, so I cannot speculate there. And I suspect that, if Asgard ever had an empire or even colonies, those have been lost; even their foothold on Earth has become naught more than myth...so even these options are closed to Thor and to Loki.

Secondly, why would Loki save his "destroy Jotunheim" plot for _after_ Thor was gone? It was Thor himself who had opened the door for a resumption of hostilities between Jotunheim and Asgard - would Thor be upset that Loki had denied him future battles against the Jotuns? (still, it seems a strange reason to save it til after Thor's away). Had we not seen Thor have a change of heart, wouldn't that serve to heal - or begin to heal - the rift between the princes?

Thirdly, why couldn't Loki simply lower himself to Thor's level? (one could argue that this is what happened anyway). Remember Loki's attempt to convince the Warriors Three and Sif that this was in Thor's best interest and that Thor was Thor's own worst enemy? Sometimes we reach a point where we go "ah frak this" and then either walk away, or we join in.

...though, if Loki takes _that_ last option, and they still go to Jotunheim, what happens when Odin brings them back? Do Loki and Thor stop Odin from mortalizing either of them... and accidentally induce that heart attack? (hm, that possibility would induce angst, guilt, and perhaps fear in each prince of the other - that or they would band together even more strongly against one and all...rather Hittite of them)

Speaking of, perhaps the biggest curveball thrown to Loki over the course of the movie, was the Casket Of Ancient Winters itself. How much of Loki's on-the-throne behavior stemmed from touching the Casket and the ensuing revelation? (and could we take his attack on Jotunheim as his attempt to prove that nurture wins over nature, that there could not be any question of him siding with Asgard against the land of the Jotuns?)

...or did his on-the-throne behavior stem more from the shock of what happened to his own arm while on Jotunheim? (on the throne, as distinct from backroom dealings)

 

I'll address Thor and the others in another chapter...including the question of why the movie appeared to treat "saving a planet/people under Asgard's protection" as proof that Thor had changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it "Jotun" or "Jotunn" or "stop quibbling with the Romanization, it's not an English word!" ?  
> :)


	2. And never touch the Casket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The change: Loki did not venture into the Armory, did not touch the Casket, did not hear Odin's words.
> 
> ...so when the Allfather enters the Odinsleep...

Without looking up from his book, without looking down from his throne, Loki told them why he could not undo Thor's banishment. "Is there any other thing you might wish to do?" he asked them then. 

"Loki?" Sif asks.

_They did not ask this of my Father,_ Loki knows, and just as well knows the why of it: Odin's word is inviolate, not to be questioned. 

Loki continues reading from the books he had brought from the palace library when he had assumed the throne, still finding no mention of blue skin in this tome on the contact-based weapons of the Lower Worlds.

 _You've been in the library almost the entire time from our return from Jotunheim...how have you not yet found whatever you are looking for?_ "Loki?" Sif repeats.

He sighs, marks his page and sets the book to one side. "You wish to go - the four of you, to walk the open spaces of Midgard as we once did." When they nodded agreement, Loki continued: "Not to _find_ Thor, as Heimdall is watching him at all times. No, you wish to...to what?" Loki asked them.

"My king?" Fandral asked.

"I cannot undo the last command of Odin my Father our Allfather the Most High King; so if you say you wish to go to Midgard to end Thor's banishment, I cannot allow it." _I could, at this point, from here out, explode at them, roaring my displeasure and saying 'begone from my sight' and magicking them down to Midgard. But with their moods, they would think it accidental on my part, and that only my present state of distraction kept them from being wiped from the universe. Thus I shall say this:_ "But if you have another reason to be on Midgard, it is within my right to permit that."

Sif gave one nod, catching on a moment before the Three did. "It has been some time since the five of us were in the wilds of Midgard. Thor may be in need of survival assistance, being mortal now."

Volstagg agreed, "Aye, he was never as good as Gudrun or Sigyn were," mentioning two who had once been part of their merry band. "But then, none of us were as skilled as they."

"And, knowing Thor, he would likely have landed in a place new to all of us," Fandral said. "Which means something new to face against, a bracing challenge."

"Then I wish you well, the four of you," Loki told them. "Enjoy Midgard while you are there." _And if Thor just happens to regain his powers and-or his Hammer by the time you are set to return to Asgard, no commandments have been broken. And Thor will come back to Asgard to see the throne does not fit me so ill as he had thought it would._

Sif was the last to leave the room, trailing a few steps behind the Three; she glanced up at Loki and tried to divine the look on his face as he resumed pouring through the tome. And then she went to Midgard.


	3. Issue a challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sif's POV as she prepares to challenge Thor to battle.  
> (it doesn't really matter if Odin or Loki are on the throne)
> 
> '"We see the winds set sore upon our sails,  
> '"and yet we strike not, but securely perish."  
> '"We see the very wreck that we must suffer,  
> '"and unavoidable is the danger now."'  
> \--The Hollow Crown: Richard II.

**SIF'S POV**

A thousand years ago, Jarnsaxa became Thor's enemy. Today, I will become Thor's enemy.

Heimdall stood aside, knowing what I must do, knowing as he does the neccessity of it. He may be bound loyal to the Throne, but he is less a fan of Loki than I.

I could have stayed, kept to Asgard and with the Three continued to try to sway Loki to our line of thinking. Even now, there is a part of me which thinks that could be the better course of action. But I am resolved, and will not be turned. I have decided upon a course, and shall hold to it.

As the cloud of my arrival clears, I can hear a noise in the air and a rumble on the ground. _So, this place is watched. That will be useful._ I surrender myself into their custody, and the ensuing process is little different than it is in most Realms...though even a Dwarf would not dare be so free with their hands.

They say they are of 'shield.'

**~~~~~~~~**

"You wanted to see me?" the SHIELD agent asks me as he walks in, the wall sliding closed behind him. If he believes I am awed by him or our surroundings, it is to his discredit; he keeps his face neutral.

"Your agents wished answers from me," I say.

"They also asked you to remove all your weapons."

"That is a thing I do only for my king."

"How about diplomacy?" he asks, curiosity coloring his neutral tone.

"As your guest, I am behaving. As my host, your agents are doing paltry," I say.

"Sorry. I'm Agent Coulson. And you are?"

"I am a friend of Thor."

"Should I know who that is?"

"The owner of the Hammer in the next room. You wish answers - I wish to see Thor."

"Okay," Coulson says, "once you answer a few questions -"

"...you will continue to delay and make excuses. The denizens of Alfheim made that mistake, and it cost them dearly; you are not as skilled as they were."

Coulson smiles. "Always nice to be appreciated by people who don't know me," he says in a very Loki tone. "And what promise do I have that you'll answer my questions after we take you to Thor?"

"The promise of a guest. The promise of one upholding her side of an agreement; you know where Thor is," I say.

"I do."

"Then we have an agreement. Though, what do we do if Thor doesn't want to talk to you?"

"He will speak with me," I say.

**~~~~~~~~~~~**

"It is good to see you again, Sif," Thor tells me as his mortal friends catch up to where we are. "What news do you bring from Asgard?"

"I have...learned a thing," I say, and my tongue stutters. For long have I been friends with the princes, long have we adventured together, long have we sung and drank and feasted together. And for Asgard...

"Yes?" one of the mortal women asks.

"Ah, Sif, this is Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis, my friends here. What thing do you speak of?"

"The condition to your banishment, my prince," I say, feeling more comfortable in at least a sheath of formality. "The way to end it."

Thor grins one of his world-spanning smiles, and I feel just a little sick for how I am about to wipe it from his face.

"Cool," Darcy comments. "What's the condition?"

To Thor, I say, "You must prove worthy."

"That's it?" Jane asks. "That's all he has to do?"

Were it easy, I would not be here. I nearly was not here, even with the difficulty of doing it alone.

"Peace, Jane," Thor says. To me, he says "Do you have an idea?"

"I do," I say. 

"Right, well, come in," Jane says, and the three of them lead me inside the house, leaving Coulson and his agents outside waiting. The mortals tell me a tale of Thor's first banished days here, and I watch them as I listen; watching the way Thor's eyes alight on Jane and how he defers to her even on the less-than-credible-sounding aspects of the tale.

I know what I must do.

"Might I speak privately with your friends, Thor?" I ask him.

"Of course," he says, granting my request, seeing no harm in it. A generousness I am undoubtedly about to dash to the floor.

As he walks away, I tell Jane and Darcy that "When I began by career, I was nicknamed _Shieldmaiden._ Soon enough, I was given the additional nickname of _Shieldbreaker._ But both nicknames stuck."

"They tend to, yeah," Jane says with the voice of one who has learned a lesson the hard way. "So, what did you want to talk to us about?"

"When I was given those nicknames, I swore my eternal loyalty to Asgard. That is what brings me here - to make it possible for Thor, prince of Asgard, to take his rightful place on the throne."

"With you beside him?" Darcy asks me. "Queen Sif?"

"I serve Thor. I do not love him more than as a friend and comrade."

"You see, Darcy?" Jane says. To me, Jane says "So what were you thinking, about how he can prove himself worthy?"

"He must save others," I answer, reaching into one pocket and pulling out a short cord of dropnir rope, flinging it at Jane whom it wraps around, holding her arms to her side. I dash toward Darcy while Jane falls to the floor.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~**

"Why me?" Darcy asks me as I haul her through the scrubland. "Why not Jane? I mean, that's what heroism is, right, saving the damsel in distress? And, really hating to say this, but I'm a crappy damsel in distress."

"Thor loves Jane," I say. "It is not heroism to rescue one's love; it is pragmatic and easy."

"And that rope? What was that?"

"Dropnir cord. Nonconstricting rope stronger than anything mortal hands can fashion."

Coulson and his agents never saw me depart; flying servant-agents in the skies is nothing new - Thor and Loki and I dealt amply with things like that on Alfheim, and the Elves' flying servants at least attempted to hide as they spied upon us.

Asgard might hobble along without Thor. It could certainly survive without Mjolnir in active use. But both at once? There are not enough pardons to ask, to know that Odin made a mistake.

Jarnsaxa was sworn to serve Thor. I am sworn to serve Asgard. Today, they are the same.

Asgard needs Thor's banishment to end. And that cannot happen without his recovery of Mjolnir.

Thor needs Asgard just as much as Asgard needs him. I may die before he ever forgives me for what I do, but I am at peace with myself.

Mostly. All but for in one arena. "When I find a suitable resting place, there is something I would ask of you," I say to Darcy.

"Seriously?" Darcy asks of me. "All this shit, and you're going to ask for a favor?"

"I harbor no illusions that I will survive the coming battle. And, as I do not wish to die an oathbreaker, I would ask you to relay my promised answers to Coulson."

"I'm not a fan of his."

"In return, you may keep my glaive." Not the first momento I have left among humans; the first in a long time, though.

Darcy considers my offer, and at length says, "I'll listen. Not sure Agent Coulson will."

"That will suffice."

**~~~~~**

After I set her down and build a small smokeless fire, I give Darcy the answers she then repeats so I can be certain Coulson will receive them. And then she asks me, "Hey, if you're gonna die, can't I get some answers too?"

The reasoning is sound. And it will pass the time until Thor's arrival, and he will arrive. "Ask me your questions," I say.

"Why do this? What'd we ever do to you?"

I cannot help but smile at that. Oh the egotism on both the individual and Realm level. "I am Sif, warrior of Asgard. My father was not simply a warrior - he was one of the counselors of Odin's war cabinet, trusted to a degree few were. My mother held an occupation more traditional for our sex."

"Homemaker?" Darcy guesses.

My mother was a horrid housewife. "Magician. She was disappointed that I chose the sword over the spell, but she did not hamper my progress.

"I have already told you that I swore to defend Asgard against all threats, all dangers."

"And a mortal Thor is a threat?" Darcy asks.

"After I roped Jane Foster, you reached for something that was not there - what was it that you thought would stop me?" I ask, curious.

"My taser. And with good reason - I already used it a few times on Thor."

"Think of Thor as the taser of Asgard - his presence is needed there. And as the Allfather bound Thor's power into the Hammer Mjolnir, he must recover that."

"...by saving me and kicking your ass," Darcy says. "Yeah, established that. But why kidnap me?"

"I could have set myself to the destruction of Coulson's base, or one of the settlements nearby," I say, "but I did not know if Thor would notice my work until I was done."

Darcy nods. "This way, you get his attention first."

"Yes."

"O-kay, that answers _part_ of the why. What's the rest?"

"When last I walked the escarpments and snows of this Realm with Thor and Loki and our friends," I say, "we observed that your race was like all others in each person feeling torn between rival loyalties - to your faith, to your laws, to your parents, to your friends, and to your earls and kings. That is still so?"

"The titles've changed, but not much else," Darcy says.

"It is the same for us. He that swears an oath of loyalty in Asgard, to Asgard, swears upon the holiness which sits for an age upon the Throne, our king, who gives the law and who is the law. He who swears that oath of loyalty, declares themselves willing to take up arms against any who threaten Asgard, even their own parents, even their friends." I sigh. "My friends are nearly all dead. One of the few remaining is Thor, prince and heir to the Throne.

"The little bit that is left over, my own name, is content that you will keep it clean by relaying my answers as I swore Coulson would have. If I am remembered as more than that, it will be like Jarnsaxa was: as a loyalist who one day raised her arms against her prince...and was struck down for it. That is to be my fate, which I welcome."

"You could still win," Darcy tells me.

"I know my abilities, just as I know Thor's."

"And you winning, won't get Thor back in power?" Darcy asks. "Maybe proving worthy means he puts up a good fight, and is willing to give his all...not neccessarily that he wins."

"Tempting words," I answer her. "Even mortal, Thor is mightier than I."

"Says the woman who just hiked cross-country with a live person over one shoulder."

"How many do you feel Thor could have over his shoulder?" I reply.

She looks at me as though it is _**I**_ who does not understand.

Darcy falls silent, and I can see her thinking with just as much mindpower behind her eyes as Loki.

I know Thor will come. We will fight, and well might it be a close combat, but he will win. I need not be permissive or surrendering to recognize that he fights better than I do. In victory and in rescue of the human, worthiness will accrue to him. If he should spare me - either to take as his prisoner back to Asgard, or to leave me to wander this Realm - then that would accrue even more to my prince in the eyes of Mjolnir, surely. Certainly.

There is nothing left to do but be patient and be ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had an idea for a version of this where Loki goes down to fight Thor, but I fear it would be too similar; their main difference is motivation - Loki's desire for Thor to see him as an equal (even if it nearly kills him), and Sif's loyalty to Asgard (even if she alienates herself in the process)


	4. Thor vs Captain America, version 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor and Loki in WW2 Europe...what could go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title is a reference to a short story by David Brin...actually, not much of a reference - it was Thor vs Captain America. Not the _Marvel_ gods, mind.

If Odin had sent his sons down to Midgard to deal with Schmidt, what might have happened?

I suspect the outcome would depend on Schmidt himself. If he had already broken all ties with Hitler, then he might convincingly paint himself (oop, pun not intended) as the person best-positioned to destroy the Nazis and the Reich. Let's admit it, the Thor who we saw before he was stripped of power and banished to New Mexico...this would have been an undertaking he would have seized with both hands. So, option one, we find ourselves with Schmidt with access to the Tesseract and to Thor (who can bring Mjolnir to bear)...vs Captain America, Colonel Carter, and friends.

...And what of Loki? Would he see through Schmidt's tales and claims? Probably yes; just because Schmidt isn't lying about the danger of Hitler, doesn't mean he isn't himself just as dangerous. But would Loki be willing or able to leave Thor alone with a stranger like Schmidt? I suspect not. Would Loki be able to convince Thor of the danger? If yes, Thor might regard it as another layer of challenge - defeating Schmidt's nasty enemies, while not leaving the Red Skull any advantage to gain from each victory. If no, on the other hand, how long would Loki hang around before finding another way?

Now let's take a look at option two...in which Thor and Loki arrive before Schmidt has had a chance to turn on Hitler's lackeys (and thus announcing he is openly willing to make an enemy of Hitler). While Schmidt might speak convincingly to his Asgardian guests about how he was just biding his time (to do the right thing) until he would not simply be wasting his time and effort and manpower, how much would Thor and Loki buy? Not a lot, I should think...though the idea of biding his time and marshalling his resources, that might appeal to Loki on some level, even if Loki goes with Thor and joins Captain America.


End file.
